RFC Europe playtesting feedback thread

[youtien]

Settle Budapest - revolution (all civics still start at first line, unchanged or supposed?) to second line. 2nd settler settle east, 3rd go to stone 4W of Thessalonikki.

0% research, all tech steal from Venezia or Genoa or Austria. I only researched Divine Rights myself, but Golden Bull already built by uber-mighty Arab.

Conquered Beograd, Raguza, Florence, Naples and Palermo, Tunis(to prevent Arab UHV, unneccessary in fact).

Was going fine, stole Chivalry from Austria. Built Marco Polo in Budapest, Venezia built Papes in Fiume, Arabia and Cordoba got all other wonders. The biggest mistake I made is vote myself to lead the crusade -- suddenly I DoWed with Arab, Bulgaria, Cordoba, Genoa, and later Austria. And Al-Quds had 225% defense and longbowmen. All crusade army destroyed. And my stability is around unstable to collapsing. Florence and Naples declared indy.

Later I vote other guy and bought the crusade to Constantinople - the right strategy. This way we can conquer Bulgaria and all SE Europe. By this time, Mongols came. Bulgaria destroyed. I captured Constantinople but Arab kicked me out. Also Ottoman came, flipped Hadrianpolis (Edirne). Later Edirne became their capital and only city (Arab captured all others). Killed them.

Then Arab invented Printing press, I switched, then under Venizia's threat I switched back again, then I collapsed . orz.

 

[Ekolite]

Never seen the Mongols get as far as Bulgaria before.

It seems strange that a non-catholic country would begin the Protestant reformation. Maybe it should be the first Catholic civ to printing press that gets the Holy City?

 

[3Miro]

The Mongols regularly make it to Bulgaria in all of my games. They are naturally not as many and as strong as in the case of Kiev, but enough to cause trouble (they often coincide with the plague).

Orthodox players do not actively participate in the Reformation, they can only hold the holy city. Maybe if an Orthodox player founds Printing Press, then Protestantism can be founded in some random Catholic country, but this may really suck for Spain.

 

[FakeShady]

The Mongols regularly make it to Bulgaria in all of my games. They are naturally not as many and as strong as in the case of Kiev, but enough to cause trouble (they often coincide with the plague).

Orthodox players do not actively participate in the Reformation, they can only hold the holy city. Maybe if an Orthodox player founds Printing Press, then Protestantism can be founded in some random Catholic country, but this may really suck for Spain.

And unfair to the Orthodox civs too, yep

I suggest letting the Orthodox civ keep the holy city, but they do not have a choice to convert to Protestantism (duh). Meanwhile the catholic nations get to convert their nation to Protestantism.

 

[Panopticon]

Germany, all normal settings.

Combined report and help request: Everything is fine with Germany. Their boundaries are determined by neighbours' expansion. At first, it seemed like they had negative balance bonuses compared to other big Europeans. However, this seems to be more a function of starting with Serfdom and Manorialism than anything else. I settled Koeln and Basle to control the Rhine. I'm going to lose the UHV, though, because it's 20 years until the second deadline and I only have one vassal, being Austria.

1. Why is the city spelled "Basle" rather than the modern "Basel"? Is this historical?
2. How should I achieve the second UHV goal?

 

[Panopticon]

I gather that Hanseatic League can only be founded in a coastal city. It would be distinctive and cool if the executive could be a naval unit, to keep the League at sea, but I don't know if that's possible!

And military order units could spread their order to cities that they conquer. Though that might entail too much micromanagement on the player's part.

 

[kochman]

Dutch: Normal settings.
Was able to pop out the 5 great merchants because when Anvers/Antwerp flipped I got a huge army, ran all over Burgundy until it was collapsed, then grabbed a few independent germanic cities as well... leaving me 5 cities with which to pump great merchants.
This also gave me a huge production base of course as well, so I was simultaneous able to build 4 colonial projects, though that was much closer. Note... defend your atlantic access!
The third condition is the easiest, open borders with 11 nations. Bribery is key.

As for the rest of Europe... Arabia had vassalized Venice, Turkey and Hungary!.. They were on a rampage. Somehow Bulgaria stayed alive AND conquered the Byzantines... taking Constantinople... Don't know how they held off the combined Arabian emirates... The rest of W. Europe was basically at war with the emirates the entire time... I joined once my victory was certain.

 

[mitsho]

Germany, all normal settings.

Combined report and help request: Everything is fine with Germany. Their boundaries are determined by neighbours' expansion. At first, it seemed like they had negative balance bonuses compared to other big Europeans. However, this seems to be more a function of starting with Serfdom and Manorialism than anything else. I settled Koeln and Basle to control the Rhine. I'm going to lose the UHV, though, because it's 20 years until the second deadline and I only have one vassal, being Austria.

1. Why is the city spelled "Basle" rather than the modern "Basel"? Is this historical?
2. How should I achieve the second UHV goal?

Basle is the English Name, Basel would be correct in German (Bâle in French), and to educate the Germans, someone from Basel is a Basler, not a Baseler ;-) (it's not a Münchener either). I cannot help you on the second condition (and I probably shouldn't post now either)

 

[fdgsgds]

As Burgundy, I conquered France, Germany, and down to Florence excluding Genoa. I went to take Jerusalem for the second UHV. Enrico Dandalo kept buying the crusades, but I was prepared for that. I had about 12 units who arrived next to Jerusalem in the year 1260. The Arabs were way ahead; they had Knights and Arquebusiers. The new version is supposed to weaken the Arabs, not strengthen them!

Also about the naval Hanseatic League executive, that's cool. Only, the league actually did have some members inland (I think Cologne was part of it, too), as it was not only for trade, but for protection, also.

Furthermore, By the mid-thirteenth century, Bulgaria had the power to build knights and took over Brunswick (independent in Germany).

 

[FakeShady]

i complained about this before and i'm gonna do so again. The Dutch flip too many German cities while spawning. I managed to flip a good 2 mega cities from Germans as the Dutch. And at the start there's also not much space to settle.

 

[KaiserKevin]

Catholic FP at reformation continue to be an issue for me, no matter who I paly FP go to 0 at reformation. This one with Spain, save file attached. Am running alpha 10b.

 

[dragodon64]

i complained about this before and i'm gonna do so again. The Dutch flip too many German cities while spawning. I managed to flip a good 2 mega cities from Germans as the Dutch. And at the start there's also not much space to settle.

I tend to get the opposite result (although I do a lot of Dutch starts to see the world state) where no German cities are in my spawn zone, but their culture never recedes for more than a turn, disallowing me from settling anywhere but Holland. French/Burgundian cities in Belgium tend to flip every other spawn, though that's neither crappy nor amazing.

 

[Ekolite]

In my latest game I got to the seventeen century and the dutch never spawned... In fact I've never seen them in the game at all come to think of it.

 

[youtien]

This time Arabia collapsed in 1263, and Cordoba died too, so I got many wonders.

Befriend with Venitian, then after they build Magellan in Fiume, conquer that city. I got 4 wonders in it.

The most important resource in early-middle game is stone. This time Byzantine settled around that stone in Balkan coast, but Naples was razed, so I settled south Italy. NNNE of Debrecen also has a stone, but the position isn't good.

Found 5th city near Black Sea, there is a ridiculously good spot (see my savefile, Thapsus), wheat, barley, horse, 2 cows and a lot of hills and rivers. Get 10+ bowmen in it then you are safe against Keshiks.

Bulgaria destroyed by Byzantines this game.

Stole techs from Venice(so stronghold is important, built it before monastries). Researched Divine Right by myself. Built all DR wonders.

I bought crusade just before Keshiks come. After the army appears I stayed bombarding. Just after Turkey spawned my other army arrived and captured Constantinople. Easy game for the rest.

 

[Ekolite]

Have you considered adding some new victory conditions? With Conquest, Space and Diplomatic gone, the VC list looks a little sparse.

I think it would be great to have a ''Colonial Empire'' VC, which would require a certain number of colony projects. This would provide a much-needed ''builder'' victory. The first to reach the Industrial Revolution would make a good science-related victory. Finally, I've always liked the idea of a Religious victory, where you spread a single religion to a certain percentage, and control the Holy City. Obviously this would be impossible for catholic players, but overcoming Catholicism with Islam, Orthodoxy or Protestantism to spread your religion to say 50% of the world's population would be very fun. Catholicism would have to have that VC disabled though, as it often reached around 50% before the reformation, and the Holy City can never be controlled by a player anyway.

Also, please, please change the cultural victory. 3 ledgendary cities is impossibly difficult. I think obtaining one single ledgendary city would be sufficient for a victory, and it would also have a better feel to it in a way, I think. Constructing the most beautiful, cultural and well-known city in the world.

 

[youtien]

I'll try cultural victory next game with Venice. 3 isn't big problem.

 

[BurnEmDown]

First to Industrial Revolution sounds too early to me, maybe IR could unlock (or unlock a wonder) that will speed colonies by another 50%, so this would kind of mean you'll soon get the colonial empire victory.

 

[3Miro]

Catholic FP at reformation continue to be an issue for me, no matter who I paly FP go to 0 at reformation. This one with Spain, save file attached. Am running alpha 10b.

Take the file from this archive and put it into RFCEurope\Assets\Python. You should overwrite the existing file.

 

[kochman]

In my latest game I got to the seventeen century and the dutch never spawned... In fact I've never seen them in the game at all come to think of it.

You need to download version 10B, because there was a problem with the code in version 10 where they were set to spawn in 1740.

 

[kochman]

I want to reiterate the case for a stronger Byzantium...
I shouldn't be losing Alexandria and Jerusalem when I do the following:
1) Build courthouse in each (+1 stability)
2) Build manor hourse in each (+1 stability)
3) Repel military invasion of Arabs
4) Have 4+ units garrisoning each city
5) Use all GPs to build faith

I mean, I specifically focused on keeping these two, and it's just not happening. They flip again and again.
Also, with some civs, you can leave a city ungarrisoned for turns... I have found if you have a Byzantine city ungarrisoned for even one turn it will go independent (though it will be easy to re-conquer... you lose the production and population).